


Shots Fired

by the_deep_magic



Category: Actor RPF, Star Trek RPF
Genre: Angst, Bathing/Washing, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-02
Updated: 2009-11-02
Packaged: 2017-10-19 05:28:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/197422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_deep_magic/pseuds/the_deep_magic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Disturbance on the Heroes set… shots fired… tall, dark-haired man seen being loaded on to an ambulance. Shit, you don’t think that could be—”</p><p>Warning: offstage violence</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shots Fired

**Author's Note:**

> Now with bonus epilogue!

It wasn’t even Chris’ usual coffee place, and the service was terrible. The manager was just starting to chew out one of the baristas for staring at her iPhone on shift when the girl said, “Just a sec, TMZ says there’s been some kind of shooting on the Heroes set.”

“ _What_?” asked Chris, leaning over the counter to try to look at the girl’s phone.

“Doesn’t say much,” she muttered, still not looking up from the phone. “Disturbance on the Heroes set… shots fired… tall, dark-haired man seen being loaded on to an ambulance. Shit, you don’t think that could be—”

When she looked up, Chris was already gone.

&&&

After calling Zach five times with no answer, he called Joe, mostly because Joe needed to know but also to keep Chris from panicking as he sat in traffic.

“No, he hasn’t called me,” said Joe. “Fuck fuck _fuck_. I’m in San Diego; even if I leave now I can’t get back there for a few hours.”

“I’m on my way to the hospital nearest the studio,” Chris said, then swore as the brake lights of the car in front of him went on again. “I’ll let you know anything the second I do.”

As soon as he hung up with Joe, Chris called a friend he knew would be home in front of his computer to see if he could find any more information. He got the name of the hospital, as well as confirmation that at least two people were injured and the gunman had been caught, but nothing else. He made a dozen other phone calls to anyone he thought might know anything, to no avail. Then he called Zach’s number again, just to hear his voice on the message.

At the hospital, Chris parked his car where he knew he’d get a ticket and would probably get towed, but he didn’t care. The lobby was a zoo – reporters and curious onlookers everywhere, security guards everywhere else. He quietly slipped through the crowd, trying to keep a low profile as he asked three separate hospital administrators what was going on.  They weren’t giving out any information, and the guards weren’t letting anyone but hospital personnel through. Chris kept his head low and waited for his opportunity, fingers nearly clawing through the pockets of his jeans as he forced himself to stay still. He finally got his chance when a particularly daring and stupid paparazzo pushed past one of the smaller guards and tried to make a break for it down the main hallway. In the ensuing chaos, Chris was able to slip into an elevator along with a couple of orderlies and a cleaning woman. He had no idea where the elevator would take him; he only knew that he had found a way in.

It took an enormous amount of self-control not to simply sprint through the hallways, flinging open doors and asking anyone with an ID badge what was going on. He had no idea if the – what, victims? It was a horrible thought, but he didn’t know what to call them – if the victims were still in the ER, or would have been admitted, or in surgery, or…  _Oh, god, surgery_ , Chris thought, fear rising in his chest.

As he passed the nurses’ station, trying desperately not to look desperate, he slowed down when he heard an older nurse mutter something about “—have to take care of it, they need more people for that mess on four.” He looked up to see the older woman striding angrily away, leaving a younger woman with a stack of charts and a terribly haggard look on her face.

She looked positively frazzled, and Chris was loath to do it, but he knew he could charm her into helping him. “Nurse,” he said softly, and her eyes went wide as she jerked her head up. “Hi, I’m Chris. I was wondering if you could help me.”

“I can’t, I’m sorry,” she said, looking so genuinely apologetic that Chris hated himself a little. “I’ve got so much to do.”

“I know, and I’m really sorry for asking, but I’ve got a friend who might be hurt in the group that came in from that shooting, and—“

Her eyes immediately went cold. “Sir, I don’t know how you got up here, but you definitely should have been stopped by security. We’re not allowed to release any information at this time.” She reached for the phone, and Chris felt his heart leap into his throat.

“No, please!” he gasped a little too loudly, panic starting to take over. “Listen, I did sneak up here, but I’m not with the paparazzi or a crazed fan or anything. I know you have no reason to believe me, but I’m telling the truth.”

Her hand hovered over the phone, but she didn’t pick it up.

“Please believe me. Please.” Chris was starting to hyperventilate. “My boyfriend was on that set, and he’s not picking up his phone, and no one will tell me anything. I just need to know if he’s alright. That’s all, no other details if you can’t tell me, just that he’s safe. If you could just go down there and see him and tell me that he’s okay, that’s all I need.”

She was starting to relent; he could see it in her eyes. “What’s his name?”

“Zach. Zach Quinto.”

Her eyes narrowed again. “What did you say your name was again?”

“It’s Chris. I’m begging you, please. I know it’s crazy, and I know you could probably get in trouble for it. Tell them I threatened you, anything, I’ll take any blame there is, just _please_ find out if he’s alright.”

She was quiet for a long time, and Chris didn’t even realize he’d been holding his breath until the nurse stood up and circled around the station to the stairs. With one last suspicious look, she said “I’ll see what I can do” and left.

&&&

The next fifteen minutes were the longest of Chris’ life. For the first five, he was terrified that she’d gone straight to security and at any moment guards would come running around the corner to tazer him and take him away. Then, as that became less and less likely, the real horror started to set in. What could possibly be taking this long? He tried to console himself with the fact that if Zach had been critically injured, the nurse would have found out quickly and come back up by now. He tried to imagine her pushing through the crowd of people, asking everyone she could find because Zach wasn’t in any of the ORs or hospital beds. 

Maybe Zach wasn’t even there. Maybe he’d been in his trailer at the time, or off the set for some reason. But then why wasn’t he answering his phone? He could be at the police station, where they might have confiscated his phone for… some reason. But then why hadn’t Zach called him soon after the shooting to let Chris know he was alright? He had to know that the news would get out and that Chris would worry.

Chris had practically worn a rut in the floor by the nurses’ station, freezing every time he heard footsteps on the stairs. Luckily, that area of the hospital didn’t seem to be very busy, so no one stopped him to ask why he was there. Finally he saw the young nurse emerge from the stairwell. “Follow me,” she said, then turned without another word and headed back down the stairs.

Chris followed, his head full of questions that he couldn’t quite get his mouth to articulate. She was walking so quickly that even though Chris was a head taller, he could barely keep up. He tried to recall what her face had looked like when she came up the stairs, but he couldn’t remember anything obvious – no bright smile, but no despair or sympathy either. They passed a hallway from which Chris could hear a loud commotion, and he thought they would head that way, but the nurse turned in the other direction instead and led them toward what looked like a cluster of offices.

Chris opened his mouth to finally ask where the hell they were going when she stopped in front of a door and held it open for him. It _was_ somebody’s office, though the desk was empty and the only light came from the open blinds, and standing in the middle of the room was…

Zach. His upper left arm was bandaged and he looked shocked as all hell to see Chris, but it was _Zach_ , and he was standing there, healthy and real and _alive_ and the tears that Chris had been holding back since he left the coffee shop suddenly started to spill over as he wrapped his arms around the other man.

He made an _oof_ noise as Chris embraced him so hard they both stumbled into the desk. Chris heard an odd chanting sound, and it took him a few seconds to realize it was his own voice, that he’d been whispering a steady stream of “Zach, Zach, Zach, _Zach_ ” into the older man’s neck as he held him. Zach’s arms came up to wrap around him, and Chris stopped his chant to gasp brokenly.

“It’s okay, Chris, I’m right here,” Zach said, holding Chris tightly.

They were both startled by a soft throat-clearing sound from over by the door. “I managed to get you a few minutes alone,” the nurse said, “but you’re expected back very soon, Mr. Quinto, or security will be very, very unhappy with all of us.”

“Thank you,” Chris said shakily, loosening his hold enough to turn around and face her. “Thank you so much, Nurse…?”

“Collins. Abby Collins.” With that, she actually smiled a little as she backed out the door. “Please lock the door when you leave.” With that, she was gone.

Chris turned back into Zach’s embrace, squeezing him tightly and not bothering to hold back his sobs. “Thank God. Oh, thank you, God.”

“Shh,” Zach whispered, kissing Chris’ hair and rubbing a soothing hand across his shoulders. “I’m okay. I’m safe. You don’t need to worry anymore.”

“Was so scared,” Chris murmured. “I heard there were shots fired, that they put someone in an ambulance, and you weren’t answering your phone and I thought it was you and nobody knew anything and why the hell weren’t you answering your phone, you idiot—” Chris had a few more choice words, but he cut himself off with a bone-shaking hiccup.

“I’m so sorry. Everything happened so fast. I didn’t even see the guy at first, just heard the shots and then Jerry – the boom mike guy – he was bleeding, and everyone was running around. Security got there fast, and we were all so focused on Jerry that I didn’t even know I’d been hurt until Hayden started poking me and shrieking.” Chris could feel Zach’s smile against his skin, and it eased some of the pressure in his chest. “They herded me straight into the ambulance – I didn’t have any time to go get my phone, and they haven’t let me near one since I got here.”

Something finally clicked in Chris’ head – the gauze on Zach’s arm, blood starting to seep through it. He pulled back to look. “Oh, god, you’ve been hurt.”

Zach put a hand on his face to keep him calm. “A flesh wound. One of the bullets must’ve grazed me. Stings like a bitch, but I think they’ll be able to save the arm.”

“And Jerry?”

“Not sure. Last I heard, he was going into surgery. But I think he was pretty stable up until then, and he’s a young healthy guy, so he’ll probably be fine.”

“I thought two people got shot.”

“Not that I know of. Though Adrian did faint like a blushing debutante at the sight of the blood – and trust me, we are never going to let him live that down.”

Chris collapsed back into Zach’s arms, trying to soak in his warmth through every pore. “Jesus,” he muttered, starting to chuckle inanely. “You get shot at and I’m the one who needs comforting.”

“Hey, it’s fine,” Zach said, pulling back to kiss Chris’ cheek, his jaw. “If it were you, I’d have been terrified.”

“I love you, Zach,” said Chris as he closed his eyes and melted into Zach’s gentle touch. “I love you so fucking much.”

“I love you, too,” Zach whispered, finally pressing his lips to Chris’. Despite the adrenaline still flowing through Chris’ veins, the kiss stayed slow and tender, a silent reassurance between them.

All too soon, Zach was pulling back and resting his forehead against Chris’. “That nurse wasn’t lying – I have to get back. I have a feeling the police won’t be done with us for another few hours.”

Chris sighed, curling his fingers around Zach’s shoulders as though that would prevent him from leaving. “Alright. I’ll be waiting for you.”

“You should go home,” said Zach as he kissed the younger man’s forehead. “You must be worn out. Relax, get something to eat—”

“I’ll get something to eat here. I’m staying.”

“Okay,” said Zach with a fond smile. “I’ll try to get out of there as quick as I can. Call Joe for me?”

“Of course.” Chris stole another kiss, not wanting to let Zach out of his arms. “Anything else you need?”

“Just you,” Zach said, gently extricating himself from Chris’ hold. “I love you.” He closed the door behind him.

Chris slumped against the desk, trying desperately to get himself under control before going back out.

&&&

Luckily, he made it through the phone call to Joe before the adrenaline wore out completely and he crashed. They’d decided that Joe would call their mother with the news, and Chris had just enough energy left to send a brief text to their mutual friends informing them that he’d seen Zach and he was fine. Then Chris took off his hoodie, bunched it up against the armrest, and promptly fell asleep curled in the waiting room chair.

He slept for about forty-five minutes, only waking when a squeaky-wheeled janitorial cart passed by. He went through the motions that he supposed most hospital visitors did: got food from the cafeteria, grimaced at the horrible coffee but drank it anyway, wandered through the gift shop even though he wasn’t looking for anything. He briefly considered buying Nurse Collins flowers, but then figured he could probably do better than the hospital gift shop. Chances were she’d recognize the wrapping anyway, and Chris wanted to get her something a little nicer than that. He ended up buying a crossword puzzle book, though the puzzles were ludicrously easy – he needed something to keep his mind busy, even if it did include clues like “Kermit ___ Frog (3 letters).”

Joe showed up after another hour and a half, and Chris was surprisingly glad to have someone to talk to. He recapped what little Zach had told him, and Joe rolled his eyes. Apparently the gossip outlets were reporting everything from a secret conspiracy to bury the truth of Hayden’s mental breakdown to a horrifyingly gory massacre perpetrated by a crazed fan. Another hour passed without a word, then both of their phones buzzed. It was the same text from an unknown number:

 _It’s me on Milo’s phone. Jerry’s fine, they may let us out soon._

Joe stood up. “Well, I’m going to try to play the Angry Family Member card, see where that gets me. Try to have the car running when I break him out.”

As badly as Chris wanted to come with him, he knew Joe stood a better chance of getting in there alone. “Will do. Thanks, man.”

“No worries,” Joe said, clapping Chris on the shoulder. “He’s really lucky to have you looking out for him.”

Chris wasn’t sure he’d been “looking out” so much as “stone-cold panicking,” but he just smiled the best he could as Joe strode off purposefully toward the wall of security guards.

Joe got results, too; he came out with Zach in tow in less than half an hour. They couldn’t risk more than a quick hug in the lobby, but just being able to see Zach, to walk next to him, was buoying after the events of the day.

“You gonna take him home?” Joe asked Chris once they got outside to the parking lot.

“If my car hasn’t been towed,” Chris said, pressing the unlock button on the remote and hoping for the best. He heard a honk and saw the lights turn on two rows over – the car was still there, thank god, though he could just make out the ticket tucked under the windshield wiper. Joe gave Chris a quick, manly shoulder hug, gave Zach a longer hug and a noogie, and with a wave left to go find his own car.

Even though Zach laughed at him and tried to bat his hand away, Chris ran over and opened the passenger door for him. “Fucking hell, Zach,” said Chris, climbing into the driver’s seat and shutting the door. “You got shot and all I could do was wander around the hospital and do insultingly easy crossword puzzles. At least let me open doors for you.”

“Sorry,” said Zach, leaning over to let Chris kiss him properly. “Thank you for getting the door. And thank you for waiting. I can’t tell you how good it was to see your face, both when the nurse came and got me and just now.”

On the ride home, Zach recounted as much of the story as he knew. They still didn’t know how the gunman had gotten past security or why he was there to begin with. In fact, the way Zach told it, save for Jerry’s injury (which would heal, Zach said – he was out of surgery and doing well), the whole thing was more a slapstick Keystone Kops skit than an actual act of violence. Chris knew Zach was keeping it light for his benefit, but he was glad for it anyway. He drove with his left hand, keeping his right on the console so he could twine his fingers with Zach’s.

It went without saying that neither of them felt like cooking or even ordering takeout, so Chris drove through In-N-Out to get them dinner. Zach, who apparently hadn’t gotten to eat in hours, dove right in, and Chris could hardly look away from the wonderful sight of his boyfriend, exhausted, bandaged, and devouring a double cheeseburger like it was his job. He laughed, feeling genuine happiness for the first time since overhearing that barista what felt like ages ago.

“What?” asked Zach. Or he tried to ask – with a mouthful of cheeseburger, it came out as little more than an inquisitive grunt.

“Nothing,” Chris said, leaning over to swipe one of Zach’s fries. “Eat your dinner, Zachary.”

&&&

Zach made it all the way home and through the front door upright, but when he sat down on the couch, he sagged limply back into the cushions.

“Want to go to bed?” Chris asked, gently rubbing Zach’s neck. The sun had only just gone down, but Chris wouldn’t begrudge Zach any amount of sleep, not after the day he’d had.

“No,” said Zach, not opening his eyes. “It’s not a sleepy-tired. More like an I-don’t-want-to-move-tired. And I’ve got to shower before I get into bed – I smell like the hospital.”

“Why don’t I draw you a bath instead? Probably easier to keep your bandages dry.”

Zach smiled. “That sounds perfect. How was I lucky enough to get you for a boyfriend?”

“They were out of the model you ordered and I was on sale. C’mon, Neo, let’s get you to the bathroom.”

“Neo?” Zach asked as Chris helped him to his feet.

“Yeah, dodging bullets and all.” Chris shrugged. “Thought you deserved some kind of bad-ass nickname after today.”

“Speaking of bad-ass, how are you with telling everyone we know that I single-handedly subdued the gunman, wrestled him to the ground, and spouted a clever quip as I pressed his slimy face into the cement?”

“I am entirely on board with that,” Chris said with a chuckle, letting Zach lean against the counter as he plugged the tub and started the water. “Any ideas for the clever quip?”

“I have to say, I’m fresh out. I don’t know how action heroes do it – quite frankly, ‘Yippie-ki-yay, motherfucker’ seems like iambic pentameter from where I’m standing.”

“John McClane: warrior poet.”

For a few moments, the bathroom was silent save for the water flowing into the tub, then…

“Chris,” said Zach in a strangely breathy way that made Chris turn around to see the other man with his hand pressed to his mouth, his face crumpling. “Chris, I could have died.”

All of the commotion, the hospital and the police and seeing Joe and Chris, had to have been holding this at bay, because all of sudden Zach looked like what he was: a man who had just a few hours ago faced down the wrong end of a gun. Chris stood immediately and enveloped Zach in his arms as the older man rambled brokenly.

“He had a gun. And it was pointed at me. I didn’t even see it, didn’t even have time to be scared. Oh, god, it came so close, too, a few inches to the right and I wouldn’t be here.”

It was Chris’ turn to hold his boyfriend tightly, stroke his hair and whisper soothing words into his ear. “But you _are_ here. You’re safe, Zach. You’re right here with me.”

“Could’ve lost you,” Zach whispered, so soft Chris could barely hear him, and Chris felt him start to shake. “Might never have seen you again. What was the last thing I said to you before I left today?   I can’t even remember. Those would’ve been the last words I ever spoke to you, and it was probably something awful about remembering to take out the recycling.”

“Shh. It doesn’t matter. I’m right here. You can say anything you want to me, any time.”

“I love you so much.”

“I know,” Chris whispered, kissing Zach’s forehead, his eyelids. “I know it even when you don’t say it, and I love you back.” He held Zach close for a few long minutes, but remembered just in time to check the water level in the tub. “I’m going to have to let go of you just now so the tub doesn’t overflow, but then I’ll be right back, okay?”

Zach chuckled weakly. “I think I can handle it.”

Chris leaned down to shut the water off. When he rose, Zach had started taking off his shirt with trembling hands, so Chris began to help him with his belt. Chris folded his clothes neatly as Zach stepped into the tub, sighing softly as he immersed himself in the hot water.

“Good?” Chris asked, kneeling next to the tub.

“Perfect,” Zach sighed, carefully resting his bandaged arm over the edge.

Chris picked up the washcloth he’d set next to the tub, dipping it in the warm water and bringing it up to wash Zach’s face. He worked slowly, wiping the tears from the older man’s cheeks and pushing his hair back from his face. Zach closed his eyes and let him work. 

Once, before they’d even started dating, Zach had helped Chris wash green makeup from his scene with Rachel off his face, and Chris remembered being surprised at Zach’s gentle touch. All the while, Zach had been rambling on about how intimate it was to wash another person – after all, who else in your whole life washed you? Your mom, maybe your dad. Letting someone else touch you that way, even innocently, was letting them into a tiny circle of people who experienced you at your most vulnerable. Chris had heard all of it distantly, but he hadn’t thought about what it meant, not until after they’d started sleeping together and he found out just how long Zach had been in love with him. He’d already let Zach into that tiny circle – letting him into his heart was easy.

Chris handed Zach the cloth to let him continue and pulled a cup from the cabinet. He filled it with water, and Zach tipped his head back to let Chris wet his hair. He’d had to grow it out as Sylar this season, and even though Chris listened sympathetically when Zach grumbled about just wanting to chop it off, he loved it. Loved to idly play with it while they watched TV, loved to watch it fall into his eyes at the end of the day, loved even more to tangle his fingers in it to pull Zach’s lips to his. He took his time with the shampoo, working his fingers against Zach’s scalp until the older man’s shoulders relaxed. He took great care rinsing it out, too – he couldn’t take back the horrible events of the day, but he could shield Zach’s eyes from the stinging suds, and even that small gesture made him feel a little better, gave him back a tiny bit of control.

When Zach was clean, he rested his head back against the lip of the tub, knobby knees poking up out of the water. It was an oversized claw-footed beauty of a tub, but still not quite big enough for the length of Zach’s body. He seemed comfortable, though. “Hope you don’t mind, but I just want to soak a while.”

“No, that’s fine,” said Chris, rinsing his hands at the sink. “Want to be alone?”

“No,” Zach said, his eyes flying open. “God, no. But you haven’t eaten – go get your burger and bring it in here.”

“Sure the smell of mustard and pickles won’t interfere with your Moonlit Gardenia experience?” Chris teased, a familiar jab at Zach’s grooming products.

“Keep it up and my fist will interfere with your face,” Zach said, a lazy smile putting the lie to his harsh words.

Chris grabbed his dinner off the kitchen table quickly – he hadn’t had Zach out of his sight since they’d left the hospital, and just that small moment apart was enough to make him uneasy. He sat on the closed toilet lid and ate his dinner while Zach told him a little more about Jerry. Zach liked to get to know all of the people he worked with regularly, even if it was just asking about their families from time to time, and it was something Chris loved about him. He could put a smile on the face of the lowliest costume assistant just by remembering her name and thanking her for doing their laundry. Chris finished off the rest of his fries, listening to Zach talk and trying not to think about how empty his life would be without him.

&&&

Eventually the water started to get cold, so Zach drained the tub and rinsed off quickly in the shower. When he finished, Chris was there with a fresh towel. Zach could have dried himself, of course, but Chris couldn’t seem to stop touching him, and Zach didn’t seem to mind.

“Want me to find you some clean PJs?” Chris asked, worrying the second it left his mouth that it sounded weirdly maternal.

Zach didn’t notice. “No,” he said, taking Chris by the hands and walking him into the bedroom. “But I’d appreciate it if you’d lose your clothes.”

“Zach, you must be exhausted, if you don’t want—”

“Chris, if you’re not naked in thirty seconds I might shoot _you_.”

“Not funny, man.” But Chris was already pulling his shirt over his head, deeply glad that Zach wasn’t too tired for this.

Zach lay back against the pillows and pulled Chris to crawl over top of him. Pressing himself against Zach from chest to ankles, Chris balanced his weight on his elbows, careful to keep away from Zach’s injured left arm. Zach pulled him down for a kiss, a slow, tender caress that mostly amounted to breathing in the same air. They knew by unspoken agreement that this wasn’t something to be rushed.

Chris took his time exploring Zach’s mouth, first sucking gently on Zach’s lower lip, then kissing the corners of his mouth and the bow of his upper lip. He wanted to burn into his memory exactly what it felt like to slide his tongue between Zach’s lips, to mesh their mouths together, to steal Zach’s breath with a quick twist of his tongue, in case he never got to feel it again—

Fortunately, Zach chose that moment to lose patience with Chris’ slow pace and bury his hands in Chris’ hair, effectively stopping his morbid train of thought. The older man kissed him deeply, hungrily, and Chris gladly gave himself up to the press of Zach’s lips and the firm stroke of a hand on the back of his neck.

Soon Zach’s hands began to wander down Chris’ body, sweeping over his ribs and shaping the muscles of his shoulders and back. The younger man responded by pulling away from Zach’s mouth to nip at his jaw, enjoying the soft burn of stubble against his lips. When Chris’ lips moved to the tender spot below Zach’s ear, the older man pushed up on his elbow to roll them over. But the movement must have twisted his injured arm, because he faltered and let out a pained gasp.

“Whoa, easy, Zach,” Chris chuckled, pressing his lover to lie back on the pillows. “Let me do the heavy lifting tonight, yeah?”

“Long as you get a move on, sure,” said Zach, shifting so Chris’ legs lay on either side of his. Chris felt Zach’s arousal pressing into his hip and ground down against it, eliciting a lovely moan from the man beneath him. He picked up where he’d left off, kissing a trail down Zach’s neck and dipping his tongue into the notch above his sternum.

Zach seemed content to let Chris take the reins, resting a hand in Chris’ hair and slowly rocking his hips up into the younger man’s. Their cocks rubbed together with tantalizing friction, and Chris resisted the urge to bear down and rut hard and fast, choosing instead to tease Zach’s nipples with lips and teeth. He laved each nipple in turn, blowing cool air across the hardened bud before nipping lightly, then a little harder until Zach’s hips jerked sharply. He lingered at the left side of Zach’s chest, feeling the older man’s heart beat wildly against his lips. Briefly, he allowed a flood of emotion to wash over him, sending up another silent prayer of thanks that Zach was here and alive and whole beneath him.

And Zach, bless him, was getting impatient. He pulled Chris back up for another bruising kiss, and when the younger man refused to increase the pace and pressure of his hips, Zach slid his hands down to Chris’ ass, crushing their bodies together. Chris moaned wantonly and gave himself over to the pleasure of thrusting roughly against the hard body beneath him. It wasn’t enough – not quite – but neither man seemed inclined to break apart for the few moments it would take to prepare for anything more. There would be time for that later, but right now Chris had Zach hot and writhing against him, clutching him desperately, and that was more than enough to send him over the edge.

He shuddered hard against Zach, who moaned when he felt Chris’ release ease the friction between them. A few more thrusts and Zach was coming too, pushing up with a nearly bruising force that Chris welcomed. He’d let Zach have any part of his body to possess and claim, as long as Zach came home to him safe every night.

Chris shifted to lie against the right side of Zach’s body, resting a hand against his heart as Zach wrapped an arm around him. As his breathing steadied, Chris brought a hand up to touch Zach’s cheek, his eyebrows, the line of his jaw. “So beautiful,” he whispered. “My Zachary.”

Zach smiled, his eyes shining wetly as he covered Chris’ hand with his own. “Getting all sentimental on me?”

“I’m allowed,” Chris said, bringing his face so close to Zach’s that their noses nearly touched. “Don’t ever leave me, Zach. You’re not allowed to die and leave me here alone.”

“I won’t,” Zach whispered, and while Chris knew that it wasn’t a promise Zach could realistically make, it was what he needed to hear, and he closed his eyes to let Zach’s words sink into his bones.

Then Chris relaxed, letting the dark moment pass as he nuzzled against Zach’s neck. “We need to send something nice to that nurse. What’s the name of that place that does cookie flower arrangements?”

“Really, Chris? Cookies on dowels?”

“Of course. You’ve got two universal constants at work there: everyone loves cookies, and all food tastes better on a stick.”

“Singularly peculiar man,” Zach chuckled, pressing his lips to Chris’ temple. “Don’t ever change.”

 

 **Epilogue - The Next Morning**

By the time Chris woke up, Zach was already sipping coffee and well into the crossword puzzle. Chris groaned and tried to motivate himself to roll over and get up. Last night, he'd been worried that Zach would have trouble falling asleep, but of course Zach was snoring within minutes and Chris was left to listen to the soft whoosh of his breathing. If he stayed up for a while watching Zach’s utterly peaceful expression as he slept, it was just to make sure Zach didn't have nightmares.

Eventually, Chris managed to come to long enough to realize that Zach had been awake for a while. "Fuck," he muttered, blinking in the late morning light. "I kept having this dream where velociraptors were chasing me through the women's section at Neiman Marcus."

"'m sorry," Zach said, leaning down to kiss Chris' forehead. Chris tried to maneuver for a kiss on the lips, but Zach gently pushed him away. "Morning breath," he said with a small smile.

"Thought you’d make an exception today in the name of spontaneous romanticism," Chris grumbled, stumbling toward the bathroom.

"You can be spontaneously romantic when your breath doesn't smell like rotting garbage," Zach laughed, and Chris came out of the bathroom, toothbrush already in his mouth, to roll his eyes at him.

When his mouth was thoroughly minty, Chris dove back under the sheets and pressed up against Zach until the other man set the paper down to kiss him properly. Chris hummed happily against Zach's lips. "I completely forgot to ask, but I guess they gave you some time off."

"Only until tomorrow afternoon."

"Shit. Getting shot at doesn't get you more than 48 hours off?"

"Welcome to network TV," Zach said with a sigh. "If I got run over by a bus tomorrow, they'd have me written out of the script by the end of the week."

Chris squinched his eyes shut. "Can we not talk about you getting hit by a bus?"

"Sorry," Zach said quietly, reaching over to stroke Chris' hair. It was all Chris could do not to whimper and nuzzle into Zach's hand. "But you've got me all day today."

"Yeah," Chris said, kissing Zach’s wrist, up his arm and shoulder until he was nearly on top of Zach. "So I was thinking – any sexy thing you want to do today, we’ll do. Anything at all, no matter how twisted or weird."

Zach appeared to give it some thought... and then reached over to pick up the newspaper again. "This is good. Do you know an Olympic swimmer with the last name Borg? I think the last letter’s an E."

Chris shot him an incredulous look. "I was talking about fooling around."

"So what is this incredibly perverse thing that you’ll do today that you normally won’t?" Zach asked casually, folding his arms over his chest and gazing at Chris.

“Well…” Chris tried in vain to come up with something. “Isn’t there some weird fantasy you’ve got that you’ve been too embarrassed to ask for?”

Zach chuckled. “Actually, I’ve pretty much thrown my worst at you and you didn’t even bat an eye. Even that Star Wars roleplaying thing.”

“See, that was fun!” Chris said, poking gently at Zach’s uninjured arm.

“C’mon, Chris, when was the last time we got to just lay in bed together and do the crossword?”

“No, yeah, that’s fine,” Chris said, resting his head against Zach’s shoulder and trying not to let his disappointment show.

Zach laughed. “Hey, that’s really sweet. But I was messing with you – the crossword can wait.”

“Oh, thank god,” Chris sighed, rolling onto his back and pulling Zach on top of him. “I will do whatever puzzles you want,” Chris murmured between kisses, “after you fuck me.”

“Making demands now?” Zach asked, sucking lightly at Chris’ jaw.

“Only if you want to fuck me.”

“Oh, I do,” Zach whispered into his ear, lips brushing the sensitive skin there, and Chris moaned, pressing his hips up into Zach’s. Those were the last words spoken for a long time as Zach’s tongue took up a long, leisurely exploration of Chris’ mouth. Chris was whimpering by the time Zach pulled the lube out of the bedside drawer and had two fingers twisting deep in his body.

“Zach, _please_.”

“Shh,” Zach whispered against his kiss-swollen lips. “Whatever I want, remember?”Chris nodded, biting his lip to keep from asking again. Last night, they had both needed the immediacy of skin against skin. Now, in the light of day, Chris could see Zach’s need to take him apart and put him back together again, to prove to them both that Zach was alive and whole and able to give him this.

“Chris,” Zach murmured, pressing soft kisses down his neck as his fingers brushed deliberately over Chris’ prostate. “I love you so much. I’m going to tell you all the time, until you’re sick of hearing it.”

Chris could barely speak through the sweet jolts of pleasure arcing up his spine. “Never,” he whispered brokenly. “Never get – _oh_ – sick of it. Love you, too.”

By the time Zach finally settled between Chris’ spread legs to push into him, Chris was nearly out of his mind with need. He had no idea how Zach was able to keep the pace so slow, but Chris clung to him and savored each achingly slow thrust until he was sure he would burst from his skin. Without speeding up, Zach shifted, changed the angle and reached between their bodies and Chris came for what felt like hours, trembling and gasping Zach’s name. Only then did Zach finally speed up, burying himself over and over again in Chris’ body until he finally let go.

When Zach’s arms gave out, Chris gathered him up and stroked all the skin he could reach, careful of the bandage on Zach’s left arm. “Crossword?” he whispered teasingly.

“Later,” Zach said, twining their fingers together and holding tight.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Upon Saint Crispin's Day](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1380469) by [atlas_of_wonderland](https://archiveofourown.org/users/atlas_of_wonderland/pseuds/atlas_of_wonderland)




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